PCR clean

The arrival of PCR (polymerase chain reaction) and many additional molecular biological methods in clinical and research laboratories required new purity criteria, also for consumables. The analysis of the individual criteria by Eppendorf was used for defining the requirements for PCR consumables.

Which requirements does "PCR clean" fulfill?

All Eppendorf consumables with the purity grade PCR clean are DNase and RNase free. The miniscule amounts of genetic substance used for experiments are therefore protected from DNases and RNases.

Testing the absence of DNase and RNase: Reaction buffers with a DNA or RNA ladder are incubated at 37°C in the consumables for several hours. There must be no trace of DNA or RNA digestion.

It is also guaranteed that the consumables are free of contaminating nucleic acids. This is normally human DNA, which could infiltrate the plastic goods during the production process (e.g. via skin particles).

The absence of human DNA is verified by PCR analysis. The detection limit is ≤2 pg DNA. This quantity is smaller than a single human cell.

Absence of PCR inhibitors: Consumables certified by Eppendorf as PCR clean are free of any PCR inhibitors and will not interfere with the PCR reaction.

The consumables are tested in a separate PCR experiment against a standard reaction.

The purity grade “PCR clean” is essentially achieved in not even letting contamination develop. Therefore, the corresponding plastic items are manufactured under clean-room conditions. The manufacturing areas are spatially separated and only personnel in special protective clothing are granted access.

Only those consumables that have passed all the necessary tests shall be labeled “PCR clean”, a quality seal which assures customers of the suitability of their Eppendorf consumables for direct use in experiments and analysis without the need for further treatment. Each lot with the purity grade PCR clean is tested and certified by an external accredited laboratory as a matter of course.

The lot-specific certificates are available on request and on our website.

We recommend the use of Eppendorf PCR clean items, for example, for the purification of nucleic acids, but also for the storage and analysis (PCR, qPCR, microarrays) of your sensitive nucleic acid-containing samples.